One mechanism by which smoke and fire may spread from one compartment of a building to another is through passages or openings, often referred to as through-penetrations, in floors, walls, ceilings, or the like. Such openings are provided to allow for the passage of cables, wires, pipes or the like within the building.
Current methods for preventing the spread of fire and passage of smoke through such openings use intumescent sheets that are cut to follow the contour of the penetrating cables. A bead of moldable intumescent putty is provided along the perimeter of the sheets. When the opening is contained in a floor, a cover plate is also typically installed over the opening. This is desirable for safety reasons, to prevent foot traffic damage to the fire stop material in the opening, and to prevent unwanted debris from entering the opening. The cover plate may also be a requirement of the fire stopping system While installations utilizing conventional cover plates are generally satisfactory for these purposes, they have shortcomings.
Existing cover plate designs require removal of the entire cover plate and profile cutting of the leading edge of the cover plate to conform to the contour of the items passing through the opening each time an item is added to the opening. And in the case where items are removed from the opening, the existing cover plate must be replaced with a completely new cover plate that has been cut to the necessary profile. In addition, current cover plates are installed using bolts/washers and various other components. The complexity of current installations increases the likelihood of improper installation due to misalignment and/or missing or lost parts.
Standard openings for the passage of cable in the telecommunications industry, for example, are generally 12 inches by 24 inches but may range up to 12 inches by as much as 72 inches. Materials used for the current cover plates include sheet goods made of steel, aluminum, or non-metallic composite boards up to ¼ inch thick. Thus, modification and/or replacement of such cover plates over the life of the opening can be a time consuming, expensive, and wasteful endeavor.
Due to the drawbacks and shortcomings of current cover plates, there exists a need in the industry for a method and apparatus for fire stopping a through-penetration that allows items passing through the opening to be readily added or removed. An adjustable cover that can be quickly and easily opened and closed can provide considerable long-term cost saving to fire stop users over currently available systems and techniques.